Watch History

Background

The SKX011J is the orange dialed 7s26-0020 diver from Seiko. It was first released in the mid 90s as the SKX011K, which was mostly probably targeted at the SE Asian market. The SKX011K has since been discontinued, while it’s unclear as to why Seiko stopped making the "K" version, it may be possible that the model wasn’t retailing too well.

I don’t know when exactly Seiko decided to pull the plug on the original SKX011K but I would guess it was sometime in the late 90s. Neither do I have any empirical data to ascertain whether Seiko produced both the "K" and "J" versions of the SKX011 simultaneously or released the SKX011J later.

What is certain is that only the SKX011J version remains for sale today from limited sources and probably in limited quantities. Like other 7s-caliber Seiko watches with the "J" suffix, the SKX011J is mainly sold to the Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, etc where the population is mostly Arabic speaking. This is reflected in the use of English/Arabic language for the day calendar. However, some batches of the SKX011Js not meant for the Middle East export market can be found with the English/Roman language.

Original SKX011Ks are difficult to find. In case you haven’t seen one before, here’s a rare photo of the "K" variant by its owner, Steve G.

Above: A discontinued SKX011J model. Photo by Steve G.

The most obvious cosmetic differences between the SKX011K and its "J" counterpart are the lack of the "21 Jewels" and "Made In Japan" text on the dial. Seiko experts also point out that the original SKX011Ks had a lighter shade of orange compared to the present-day SKX011Js. I cannot verify this for myself as I have never handled a SKX011K before. Sometimes orange dials can appear darker or lighter depending on the lighting conditions, camera color settings or post-production image enhancing with software like the Adobe Photoshop.

Above: Pic of my SKX011J on an optional Seiko 48A2-JG Oyster bracelet

Now I wasn’t exactly a fan of orange dialed watches, other than the SKX781K Orange Monster that I had. At the time I already owned two black dialed SKX007J divers and wondered if I would really like this orange version.

I always like to say that some watches that I bought were love-at-first-sight basis, while others were of acquired taste. I didn’t fancy this carrot-colored diver when I first looked at photos of it. It took me several months of pondering before I decided to get the orange 7s26-0020 watch. OK, I admit that it was an acquired taste for me. 😉

Popularity-wise, the SKX011J doesn’t go down too well with casual Seiko diver buyers. Black has always been the safest color to choose and followed by the "Pepsi" (red and blue)bezel, SKX009 model which had a deep blue dial. Orange is not everyone’s favorite color in a watch as its dial contrast is somewhat reduced in dim lighting conditions.

Some diver watch collectors would readily point out that DOXA was the pioneer of orange colored dive watches and the use of orange color enhances visibility in the dark depths of the sea. Well, I’m no recreational diver so I guess I’ll never get to test this theory myself. 🙂

The DOXA Sub 600-T professional dive watch (borrowed picture)

Like the SKX007J, it took some time for me to to fall in love with the SKX011J. I had a collection of SKX011J photos and this particular one below, which was beautifully photographed by Mike B.D, influenced me to get one for myself. I liked this particular photo a lot and as a wallpaper it graced my PC’s desktop for a few months.

Mike B.D.’s beautiful photographic rendition of his SKX011J and SKX007K got me to buy both watches!

SKX011J Custom Mods

As you can see, the unique highlights SKX011J besides the orange dial is the gold trim used on the hands and bezel markers. Not every owner of this watch responds positively to the gold accented bezel, so they would usually replace it with the one from the standard SKX007.

Well, I happen like the SKX011J the way it was designed. I think it’s the gold accents that make this orange beauty stand out from the rest of the SKX diver family. No other 7s26-0020 diver model has the hands and bezel of the 011J. All my other Seiko divers have the usual silver-on-black bezel insert and the conventional looking hands, so I decided to leave mine as it is.

Still, some 011J owners aren’t deterred from getting adventurous and modifying their SKX011Js. There are many aftermarket parts that you can use to customize this watch. If you like, you can use hands and bezels from other Seiko models.

Here’s a superb example of tastefully a done modification to the stock SKX011J, by Kelly Rayburn. The hands are from the SKXA51K Orange Knight model while the bezel is from the SKX007K diver. The dial markers have also been professionally relumed, which explains the three-dimensional look of the luminous indexes.

Kelly’s simple mod was widely regarded as one of the best looking SKX011J mods so far

Look and feel

The SKX011J, being just a dial variation of the 7s26-0020 diver family, feels just my existing SKX007J. The watch is well balanced on the wrist and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

As with other orange dialed Seiko divers, the SKX011J comes with the standard Z-22 rubber strap. I’m no longer a fan of rubber straps so I replaced mine with a Seiko 48A2-JG Oyster bracelet, which fits any 7s26-0020 watch perfectly.

Lume-wise, the hands and dial is adequately bright but not as powerful as the lume used in the Seiko Monster, Knight, Sawtooth or Sumo diver. It is still visible in darkness after seven hours.

A time exposure, lume photo of my very own SKX011J

Dimensions

The measurements of the SKX011J are as follows:

Diameter: 42 mm (w/o crown), 45 mm (w/crown)

Lug-to-lug: 45.5 mm

Thickness: 12.7 mm

Lug width: 22 mm, tapering to 20mm at clasp (48A2-JG Oyster bracelet)

Specifications

Caliber: 7s26A, 21 jewels (7s26B from Oct 2006 onwards)

Caseback type: 7s26-0020

Movement: Automatic, non-hacking

Beat rate: 21,600 bph (6 beats/sec)

Loss/gain: Less than 40 sec/day

Power reserve: About 42 hours

Calendar: Day/date, dual language (Eng/Arabic)

Crown: Screw-in type

Construction: Stainless steel

Crystal: Hardlex glass, flat profile

Bezel: Unidirectional, 120 graduations

W.R. rating: 200m, ISO certified

Luminous material: LumiBrite™

Movement Japan, cased in Japan

As usual, the wrist shot. Here’s a photo of the SKX011J on my 6.5" wrist.

And some additional photos of my SKX011J here:

Conclusion

There’s not much to say about the SKX011J except that it’s a very interesting variation of the more common SKX007 diver. If you’re a dive watch fan, this may appeal to you if you like orange dials. I don’t think the watch is overly loud – with a stainless steel bracelet or strap it makes an excellent watch to wear to the office. The gold accents compliment the orange dial rather nicely.

Some online sellers like Chronograph.com offers the SKX011J in a variety of bands: NATO, Z-22 rubber, Jubilee or aftermarket Oyster bracelet (Model 48A2-JG) like the one I have. The SKX011J is actually issued on the rubber strap from the Seiko factory.

Yes, I would purchase this watch again, provided if I can find one from Pokemonyu or Premierworld, that is. At the time of writing, brand new SKX007Js are no longer sold on eBay. My guess is that supplies from these gray market eBay sellers have dried up for some time. If you’re looking for a new one, Chronograph.com and 21Jewels.com retailers still carry stock of the SKX007J both on rubber and custom fitted bracelets.

You need to buy a stock SKX011J, order a set of SKXA47K White Knight hands, a SKX007K bezel and have the dial relumed by a professional watchmaker to mimic Kelly’s SKX007.

If you cannot source a SKX011J, you can alternatively start with a SKX007/009K diver, buy the orange dial and chapter ring plus the SKXA47K hands. The dial will still need to be relumed (that makes Kelly’s watch extra special and exclusive).

Contact me if you wish to order the parts but I’ll have to caution you that Seiko parts are not exactly cheap. And there’s a long waiting period for the parts to arrive (3 months, typically).

Love this watch! I’d love to send you a shot of my own recent mod, which has already gotten its share of looks and more that a couple of positive remarks — SKX007J, with orange SKX011 chapter ring installed, on a Maratac Zulu orange stripe band. Subtle but attractive (I think!). With a new favorite, I’m afraid my GMT Master, Navitimers and various Omegas are spending a bit more time in the winder!

I’m not the least surprised that you love the SKX011J more than your expen$ive Swiss watches. I’ve heard about many people in the same situation as you are – they end up liquidating their Swiss timepieces to buy the high end Seikos and have never regretted their decision. 🙂

Not all Seikos are pretty watches – you just have to know to pick the best of the bunch. 😉

And unlike many upscale Swiss watches, Seikos don’t really need winders. They are equally at home being stored in the drawer or worn daily!

I just bought an Orange Knight. I would like a black bezel to repalce the steel bezel. I’ve seen medium black seiko bezels and large, both posted for 7s26’s. I have a 7s26-01×0. Does any one know what size black bezel I need to mod my Orange Knight?

With regard to the SKX011’s dial color, I wonder about your statement that “the use of orange color enhances visibility in the dark depths of the sea.” My understanding is that colors start to disappear according to wavelength — longest to shortest. That is, red disappears first (at about 15 feet), orange is next (at about 45 feet), then yellow (at about 90 feet), etc. Now, that doesn’t mean that you won’t see an orange watch face below 45 feet — only that you won’t see an *orange* watch face at that depth. Ultimately, these dial colors (orange here, the yellow on the SKXA35, for example) may be attractive out of water — and there’s nothing wrong with that — but they don’t mean much once you jump in!

Thanks for your interesting thoughts with regards to the color perception of orange and yellow dials underwater. Granted, there are very few diver’s watches with yellow dials due to poor contrast when deeply submerged. DOXA was perhaps one of the earliest manufacturers to introduce orange dials for its dive watches and it’s not surprising that other watch companies would follow suit.

As for me, the best “color” for a diver’s watch for practical use would be black. Technically black is not a color, it’s an absence of colors in the visible light spectrum. A black faced diver’s watch against white luminous markers present the highest contrast in poor lighting, like in deep water. Orange is not my favorite color but it provides a refreshing break from the monotony of owning all black dialed diver’s watches. 🙂